Delight in our festive Ginger Pear Tart, featuring succulent pears, a spiced triple ginger cookie crust, and the enchanting aroma of warm ginger and cinnamon. Experience the joy of holiday baking with this delightful treat that fills your kitchen with the nostalgic fragrance of the season. Celebrate the holidays with a slice of pure festive bliss!
Continue reading “Ginger Pear Tart”
I love this soup so much for it’s taste and nutrients! For me, soups and stews are the most perfect rainy day, winter foods. They are comforting, easy to make, and give you the perfect warmth on a cold day. 
This particular soup is a favorite of mine because it has hints of spice from the ginger and black pepper, hints of sweetness from the carrots and plenty of nutrition from all three main ingredients! Very rarely have I had fresh turmeric root, usually I use the turmeric powder in all of my foods so this was a fun way to use fresh root and get a stronger flavor in. The depth it adds with the combination of carrot and ginger is just amazing!
Check out these amazing health benefits you get from eating the Carrot Turmeric Ginger soup! I love when I can eat a food that is delicious and nutritious for you!
Health Benefits of Ginger
The benefits of ginger are amazing! Many people know that ginger is a great aid in digestion and helps nausea, but did you know:
Turmeric Health Benefits
How can I leave behind my Carrots?
Ok, I know I’ve been going on and on about how healthy this soup is, but really, it is! And so flavorful with the combination of carrots, ginger, turmeric, and even some onions in there. The hint of cinnamon adds the ultimate warmth this soup can provide on a cold and bitter winter day!
So what are you waiting for?! Try it out and tell me what you think!
From my kitchen to yours, I hope you enjoy this delicious Carrot Turmeric Ginger Soup!
Here are the tools that I used to make this recipe: 
One of my favorite memories is coming home to a nice cup of hot cha (as many Indians call it, but also famously known as Chai) and hanging out with my mom talking about our day. It didn’t matter if I was coming home from high school, college, or once I moved out, coming home for the weekend – cha was our time. Especially during the cold, snowy winters, that cup of chai just worked wonders. Continue reading “Cha (Chai) Yum “
Palak paneer is one of my husband’s favorite dishes, and recently becoming one of my daughter’s favorite dishes too. This is a win-win recipe for me because it’s full of iron. calcium, protein, and fiber. The fact that my toddler will gobble it up…. score for Mom!
Here’s my quick and easy version. Hope you enjoy it!
Blanching spinach is pretty easy (though I have to admit, I was intimidated the first time I heard of the process). Simply dunk the spinach leaves in boiling water for about 3 minutes and using a slotted spoon (so there’s not much excess hot water tagging along with the spinach), pull out the spinach and again dunk them in a bowl of ice water. This blanching process cooks the spinach without wilting it and keeping intact it’s beautiful, vibrant green color. Pretty cool, huh!
Tomatoes and onions are part of most Indian dishes. I love using this duo to test out various spice combinations for new or upgraded recipes!
Ingredients:
For the Spinach Puree:
9 oz fresh spinach
1-2 green chilies (depending on your spice level)
3 garlic cloves
½” ginger knob
3c boiling water
For the Gravy:
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small tomato, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
½tsp cumin seeds
¼tsp turmeric powder
½tsp cayenne pepper
½tsp garam masala
pinch of hing
1 bay leaf
7oz paneer, cubed
1Tbsp EVOO
Salt to taste
Directions:
For the Spinach Pureé:
Blanch the spinach and make sure to drain it of any excess water. Add it to the blender with garlic cloves, ginger, and green chilies. Blend to a smooth puree and set aside.
For the gravy:
In a nonstick pot, heat oil and add cumin seeds. Once they start to splutter, add the hing (asafoetida) and bay leaf, and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the onions and sauté until they are lightly golden. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Make sure you don’t brown the garlic as the aroma and the taste will cook off. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until the water starts to separate. At this point, add in cayenne pepper, garam masala and turmeric and mix well. Add in the spinach puree and mix well. Add in the salt and mix well. Cook for about 8-10 minutes to make sure the spinach is cooked, and the gravy thickens. Add in the paneer and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes so the paneer cubes can become softer.
Serve hot with Naan or Rice. Enjoy!
Recently, we’ve been eating a rotation of mostly the same foods as at least 50% of our household has been taking shifts getting sick. Well, I’m happy to say, we’re (hopefully) finally getting to the tail end of it so that means no more soup or tea! My hubby recently picked up some Udon noodles for me (he knows I like them a lot!) and I’ve been trying to figure out what I want to do with them. Sure they taste great on their own but let’s get real, they taste even better paired with a delicious filet of salmon.
I’ve also been playing around with my version of a teriyaki sauce. Most of the recipes I found online included a sake but since I was going to experiment on my toddlers as well as my hubby, I decided to leave that one out. I have to say, this sauce turned out pretty delicious – I even dipped my brussels sprouts in the leftover as if it were a dipping sauce. Try it out and tell me what you think!
The best part about this sauce is that it is very simple and most people have these ingredients at home!  In a little mixing bowl, add the soy sauce, brown sugar, ground ginger, and minced garlic. I also added a little flour, some chili pepper flakes and EVOO to the bowl.
This is my favorite part of the recipe – sesame seeds. The nutty flavor and crunch adds just the right note of balance.
Whisk everything really well. You want all the ingredients to blend well and make sure there are no lumps from the flour added. They won’t cook and trust me – it can ruin the taste.
In a large bowl, line 2 6oz salmon filets and cover with the teriyaki sauce. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Coat the bottom of a cast iron skillet with EVOO and heat on high until it starts to smoke. Reduce the heat and place the salmon skin side up and let it cook for 4 minutes. Do Not Touch the salmon for the next 4 minutes. I know people get anxious and want to check if it is cooking properly, is it burned, there’s a char type smell coming, etc, etc. I assure you nothing is wrong with it. In fact, the more you try to check it, the more it will not cook properly.
Once your 4 minute timer goes off, flip the salmon the other side and cook for another 3 minutes.
Serve with noodles or rice and enjoy!
Teriyaki Salmon:
Ingredients:
2Tbsp Soy Sauce
1Tbsp Brown Sugar
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4tsp ground ginger
1/2tsp chili flakes
1Tbsp sesame seeds
1/2Tbsp flour
2tsp EVOO
2 6oz Salmon filets (can be replaced with tofu or any of your favorite veggies)
Directions:
In a small mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients and whisk to combine everything.
Coat a cast iron skillet with EVOO and heat on high over the stove. When it starts smoking, add salmon skin side up and cook for 4 minutes.
Flip and cook another 3 minutes.
Serve hot with noodles or rice.
Enjoy!
